An improved alkaline pretreatment of biomass is provided that uses a homogenous catalyst with one or more metals and metal coordinating ligands, wherein the homogeneous catalyst is used with at least two oxidants in an oxidation reaction to catalytically pretreat lignocellulosic biomass. In one embodiment, hydrogen peroxide and oxygen are utilized as co-oxidants during alkaline-oxidative pretreatment to improve biomass pretreatment and increase enzymatic digestibility. In one embodiment, the homogenous catalyst is copper (II) 2,2-bipyridine (Cu(bpy)). Related methods are also disclosed to improve the economic feasibility of production of lignocellulose derived sugars.

The invention discloses a method for preparing maleate by selective catalytic oxidation of lignin. The method uses a heteropolyacid functionalized ionic liquid as a catalyst, and an aqueous alcohol solution as a reaction medium to achieve high-efficiency selective catalytic conversion and ring opening oxidation of biomass lignin at a reaction temperature of 110-160 C. and an oxygen pressure of 0.5-1.0 MPa for 1-6 h. The selectivity of maleate is higher than 47.83%. The yield and selectivity of a single chemical derived from the depolymerization of lignin in the present invention are much higher than the prior art, and the ionic liquid catalyst exhibits outstanding advantages such as availability of recovery and recycling through simple temperature adjustment; the reaction conditions of the present invention are mild, and the process is green and safe, easy to operate, and available for batch and continuous production. The invention provides a new green way for preparing bulk chemicals like maleate from reproducible raw materials such as lignin.

A method for preparing a porous organic framework-supported atomic noble metal catalyst for catalytic oxidation of VOCs at room temperature, including: (1) adding 2,6-diaminopyridine and 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid chloride to a triethylamine-containing dichloromethane solution and stirring the reaction mixture; reacting the reaction mixture in an oil bath under heating to produce a porous pyridine-amide framework; (2) impregnating the porous pyridine-amide framework completely in a noble metal salt solution followed by ultrasonication and standing; reducing the porous organic framework-supported noble metal ions with sodium borohydride solution; washing and drying to produce a semi-finished porous pyridine-amide framework-supported atomic noble metal catalyst; (3) calcining the semi-finished catalyst in a muffle furnace to obtain a finished catalyst. The catalyst provided herein has high atomic dispersion and atomic active sites, significantly improving the catalytic efficiency.

A process for valorization of lignin includes the steps of mixing lignin; a MOF catalyst metalated with a metal atom selected from the group consisting of Fe, Mn, Co, Cu, or Ni, and combinations thereof; an oxidizing agent; and an aqueous solvent. The product of this process, a charged polyacid-containing species derived from lignin, may be included in a dispersion with a dispersible particulate material, and an aqueous dispersing medium.

Disclosed is a method for treating phenol wastewater. The method includes the following step: adding a hydrophobic phthalocyanine as a catalyst, and H.sub.2O.sub.2 as an oxidant into the phenol wastewater. The hydrophobic phthalocyanine is obtained by decorating a hydrophobic group on a bacterial cellulose-metal phthalocyanine with a silane coupling agent; the bacterial cellulose-metal phthalocyanine is obtained by mixing a metal phthalocyanine into a bacterial cellulose medium, biologically culturing with an acetic acid bacterium, and then heating and reducing the mixture; and the metal phthalocyanine is nitro-sulfonic metal phthalocyanine.

The present invention relates to novel poly(heptazine imides), a photocatalytic system comprising such poly(heptazine imides) and a sulfur source as well as the application thereof in photocatalytic reactions.

An allylic oxidation process includes forming a mixture containing -Guaiene and an iron (III)-X porphyrin complex catalyst in a sustainable solvent, introducing molecular oxygen into the mixture, and effecting allylic oxidation to produce an ,-unsaturated ketone, Rotundone.

An integrated process is useful for producing 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) and/or a derivative thereof from a six-carbon sugar-containing feed. The process includes a) dehydrating a feed containing a six-carbon sugar unit, in the presence of a bromine source and of a solvent, to generate an oxidation feed that contains at least one of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and/or a derivative or derivatives of HMF in the solvent, together with at least one bromine containing species; b) contacting the oxidation feed from step (a) with a metal catalyst and with an oxygen source under oxidation conditions to produce an oxidation product mixture of at least FDCA and/or a derivative thereof, the solvent, and a residual catalyst: c) purifying and separating the mixture obtained in step (b) to obtain FDCA and/or a derivative thereof and the solvent; and d) recycling at least a portion of the solvent obtained in step (c) to step (a).

Metal ion-directed carboxylic acid functionalized polyoxometalate hybrid compounds, and their preparation method and applications in catalyzing the degradation of chemical warfare agent simulants. In the synthesis, Na.sub.2MoO.sub.4, p-hydroxybenzonic acid (PHBA), alanine (Ala), KCl, transition metal cations and As.sub.2O.sub.3 as raw materials and water are used as solvent. At room temperature, 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES) and the prepared polyoxometalate hybrid compounds were mixed together in anhydrous ethanol and stirred, and H.sub.2O.sub.2 was subsequently added into the reaction system. The catalytic reaction for the degradation of CEES was finished within 5 min under stirring. In the catalytic hydrolysis of diethyl cyanophosphonate (DECP), the catalyst, DECP, DMF and H.sub.2O were put together and mixed fully. The prepared polyoxometalate hybrid compounds have the advantages of high conversion, high selectivity and easy recyclability in catalyzing the degradation of two types of chemical warfare agent simulant.

A catalytic composition and process for using same. The catalyst may be utilized for an oxidation reaction, for example, for the conversion of mercaptans to disulfides. The catalyst includes a metal component, for example, cobalt phthalocyanine structure. The organic component may comprise any number of different oxidation promoters that are capable of promoting the reduction of oxygen, preferably in a caustic, environment. The organic component may comprise an unsaturated six member ring having at least five carbon atoms, and wherein the sixth member of the six member ring is either C or N, and in which at least two substituent groups are present on the six membered ring.